Chapter 6
Without even thinking about it, Tony instinctively as a low growl emitted from deep within his chest, drew the sleeping Alicia closer into his chest, a wave of completely irrational fear crashing over him that she’d wish to take his child away from him. Maybe wouldn’t believe he was capable of looking after her, he’d clearly done a stellar job so far, right? Had dumped her on them, and then nearly had her killed through an over-stretched Bond. What kind of parent was he?
“Antoshka, I’m not going to take her, I promise. I just…” She broke off, uncertain about how to phrase her intentions. Wanted to what? Wanted to comfort him. Wanted to make sure he wasn’t as broken as he appeared? Wanted to reassure herself that he was alive? All of these things were to benefit her. At the moment? He was the important one. “I’ll remain here.”
Clint started with surprise, glancing towards her with a near unreadable expression. They’d remain here? But…
Natasha elbowed him in the side the moment she saw his mouth open to disagree, and she nodded at the omega, willing Clint to read the same anxiety that she could. “We won’t come any closer than this, Antoshka.” She re-iterated, pleased to see the man’s shoulders relax slightly as neither of his two teammates moved any closer.
The officer, Walker, rested one hand on Tony’s shoulder, a comforting gesture, and without removing his gaze from the pair of Avengers spoke to the nurse and Tony both. “Right. With that settled, let’s get you two inside, hey ‘Almost-23’. We should get you both checked out.”
Natasha’s lip curled as she scented the wave of anxiety that rolled of Tony at the officer’s words, and resisted with everything within her to snap at Walker, informing him that they’d be taking Tony home where he could be checked out by Bruce and they could let Carl know where he was.
Clint’s once again opening mouth earnt him another elbow to the ribs as Natasha prevented the beta from saying precisely what she was just thinking. Clint turned a hurt glare on the Alpha, only subsiding at her firm head-shake. This was Tony’s show, and they would do nothing other than what he wished.
Reading that within her eyes, Clint nodded, accepting her judgement.
Nearly three hours later found the entire team combined with an exhausted Officer Walker sitting in a private room on one of the top floors of the hospital. Both Tony and Alicia had been checked over carefully, with Alicia being labelled as in good health whilst Tony definitely required improvement. Bruises, some going bone-deep, and grazes littered his form along with a deep gash adorning his entire right side. He had a sprained ankle, which did cause Walker to look somewhat shame-faced, and a torn tendon in both his rotator cuff and knee. His ribs were bruised, and the doctors had hmm’d and haa’d over some of his x-rays. Though about what, they hadn’t mentioned yet. All of that along with malnutrition, dehydration, mild puenomia and, just to top off the list, mild hypothermia along with near every other thing linked to exhaustion the doctors could label, make up, or diagnose meant that he’d be kept under maintenance for quite some time.
The omega had had blood-work done and all were still eagerly awaiting the results to check any other illnesses/issues he had, but Walker was fairly certain he definitely had enough to be going on with.
The frustrating thing? The kid himself hadn’t said a single word since the Avengers had arrived. His face had barely twitched. Walker was quietly going insane. He refused to leave until he had some certainty that Tony was going to be alright, and that certainly wasn’t occurring with the Avengers present. Yet. They. Wouldn’t. Leave.
Captain America (!) had offered to contact Carl, and that had been the only reaction Tony had made. The stench of fear that had hurled off Tony had made even Walker’s drug-dulled nose twitch, and that had swiftly drawn an end to that topic. The Black Widow had gone impressively stone-faced at the reaction and the team had exchanged a myriad of glances, no doubt some silent conversation that had gone right over Walker’s head.
Fuck them.
Walker realised that he was beyond acting professional, and was breaking a tonne of different rules, but he was going to see this through to the end. His excuse for staying here? Tony still hadn’t given him a statement, and nothing was going to make him leave until that had happened. No matter how many glares he received from some of the most terrifying individuals he’d ever met. Officer Walker was from North Carolina. Stubborness ran through his blood.
Still, that did lead to the current situation. Tony in the attached bathroom (which Walker had scanned through to check there was nothing he could harm himself with) having an unauthorised and unadvised shower, baby Alicia asleep on the bed that Tony was meant to be on, with the Avengers all against one wall and Walker against the other. Firing squad time? Walker bit back the oncoming laugh. Gods, he was exhausted . He was no young pup to be pulling these hours any longer.
He was just about to try and extend a hand of peace to the others when Barton, Hawkeye’s head perked up from where it had been slumped against his chest, and he darted into the bathroom before any of the others could make a move.
“Wait!” The Black Widow snapped on seeing Walker make a move in the same direction. “Let Clint handle this.” Walker stared her once more in the eyes before acquiescing, and waiting, every muscle tense and coiled.
For Tony? It had been a horrific few hours. Doctors poking him. Everyone uncovering everything he’d tried to keep hidden over the past few years. Judging him. Hating him. It was amazing they were allowing him to have this shower, he must look that pathetic.
The exhausted omega tilted his head upwards, luxuriating in the heat that was finally beginning to overtake the chill that had been wracking him, enjoying it for a moment before the drops of water suddenly sent him flying back into the past.
Tony’s legs buckled from underneath him, unable to hold his shuddering form. He fell to the floor, the soft thud muffled by the steaming water thundering down on him. “Can’t do it. Can’t. Can’t.” Wave after wave of terror assaulted the broken billionaire as he wrapped his arms around his ankles, drawing them closer to his body as further protection to his battered body. His head fell onto his knees as the strength to hold it upright slipped from his body.
Every fibre cried out for him to escape the torment he was going through. He. He couldn’t breathe! His head. It was surrounded by water, each stunted breath dragging water into his lungs. There was a hand there, holding his head down, ignoring his straining neck muscles as he fought to raise his head, ignoring the renewed agony from his broken shoulder. No air! Freedom... freedom was a hallucination. A dream.
His world was nothing more than bubbles drifting, floating past his head and a hand holding him down while another hand fiddled with his torn ass. How well he knew this game. The thrusts from behind would make him gasp in pain, or maybe howl, depending on how big the article They inserted into him was. That would bring water into his lungs, causing him to cough, choke, writhe. He’d then be hit, punishment for resistance, and the cycle would begin anew. Round and round and round. Again and again. Never ending. Pain. Hands. Torture. Hands. No reason. No air!
A low keening sound caught the hyperventilating man’s ears and he noted, to his surprise, it was emitting from him. How he could make the noise through the water swirling through his lungs he was unsure. But… wait. Was there water in his lungs? He couldn’t feel any. He couldn’t feel any water at all. His clothes were certainly sodden through, the wet material swiftly cooling as it clung to him, turning the shudders that wracked his body into trembling from the cold. Clothes? Since when was he allowed clothes? One of the first things they’d done was remove his clothes. He would get in trouble! He’d think he’d stolen the clothes from somewhere.
As his breathing sped up even further, a voice reached his ears, and a solid, warm arm enveloped his shoulders and knees, drawing him into a gentle hug, despite his initial flinch and struggle to escape before he remembered The Rules. “-ony, it’s alright Tony. Calm down. Breathe. It’s alright Tony. You’re fine. You’re not there. It’s just me, Clint. The water’s gone, it’s all gone.” The voice continued speaking; a soothing murmur against the silence only broken by Tony’s panicked attempts at breathing. He could even feel the voice, rumbling in the solid chest he was being held against. It was a good kind of hold though. There was no feeling of restrained, just… held. Comforted.
“Tony? Can you hear me?” The voice altered slightly, a coaxing tone entering its pitch as it tried to draw a response from him. Tony nodded slightly, hoping the voice would be able to differentiate the movement from the rest of the shudders jarring his body. “That’s good.” Huh… Apparently it could, if Tony was to judge from the pleased tone that had entered it.
Smart voice.
“Just keep on breathing, focus on my voice. You’re completely safe here. I promise. Keep on breathing. Let’s see if we can’t slow that down a bit, hey Tony? Come on, you can do it. Listen to my voice, feel my hand. Breathe in…and out. In…. and out. That’s great!” As the voice continued talking, one of the hands enveloping his upper torso began to move up and down in time with his words.
Tony began to try to regulate his panicked breaths with the movements of the hand, taking a deep breath in for when it was up, and releasing said breath as the hand fell. It was hard work, trying to force the panic roaring through his chest away so he could breathe smoothly. Yet the voice kept on reassuring him, grounding him, and the hand kept on stroking his arm until his breath was interrupted by nothing more than the occasional hitch.
“Clint…” Tony whispered as the voice, no. Clint’s voice continued its soothing litany. Clint halted what he was saying mid-word as he tried to tuck his head down in an effort to see the omega’s face despite the fact it was still buried within his knees. “Hey you. Welcome back. You alright?” The pitch was somehow even lower and more soothing than when he’d been talking Tony down from his panic attack. Something within it. The words. The tone. Something. Caused Tony’s resolve to break.
His shaking renewed as he loosened one arm from the death grip had had around his knees and flung it around Clint’s shoulders in a desperate move. “I’m sorry!” The words ripped themselves from his throat as tears began to force themselves from behind his eyes. His whole body vibrated with his failed attempts to suppress the sobs erupting from his thin frame. It was too much. The combination of an Afghanistan flashback, mixed in with memories from Carl… he just couldn’t.
“Oh, Tony…” Clint maneuvered his body so Tony was able to all but fall into it, being careful to not move his arms from the embrace that seemed to be all but holding the omega together. “Tony… you’ve done nothing to be sorry for.” He did nothing to shush the man he held opting instead for silence as he held the fragile form wracked by long overdue sobs.